Before today’s modern Superman, there was George Reeves, television’s first Man of Steel. As the star of Adventures of Superman, he became a household name. He was someone kids looked up to and adults trusted to bring a bit of hope and heroics into their living rooms.

George Reeves wasn’t always flying around in tights, though. Off-screen, he often reminded audiences that his career was much bigger than the cape.

In a 1956 interview with The Pittsburgh Press, Reeves emphasized that he had worked in Hollywood long before becoming Superman.

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"You know, some people might not be aware of it, but I’ve done other things besides playing Superman," Reeves said. "I wanted to be a singer, but I got my start in Hollywood with Hopalong Cassidy. I was the kid who used to look at Cassidy and shout, 'Gee! Hoppy, what’re you gonna do now?'"

From there, Reeves went on to act alongside major Hollywood names in productions such as From Here to Eternity. Even with that range, typecasting proved to be more powerful than Superman himself.

"Most movie producers feel I’m too closely identified with Superman, so they won’t use me," Reeves said. "Except for the sergeant role in From Here to Eternity and a new part coming up in Walt Disney’s Westward Ho! The Wagons!, I haven’t done much else."

Still, no matter the career hurdles, his legacy was already locked in. Reeves helped define what a superhero could look like on screen long before the modern era of caped blockbusters. Reeves didn’t just play a hero—he became part of pop culture history.